Bad Moon on the Rise
by Buretsu
Summary: The terror in Shinjuku Park continues, as a third victim of the terrible beast has been discovered. All residents are advised to keep clear of the park at night.
1. The Hunter Strikes

Yawn.  Your standard disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, though how freaking cool would that be?

Alone in the moonlight, she lifts her muzzle into the air, breathing in the scents of the city at night.  She can very nearly taste it, it's so strong, and she loves every second of it.  None notice the blur as it passes over their heads, none see her.  The moon is tantalizingly close to full in the sky, sending a tingle down her spine.  Her body trembling, she breathes in once again, noticing the new smell interwoven with all the familiar ones.  She grins, baring several razor sharp fangs and chuckles deep in her throat.  She knows that smell.  Fear.

With her keen eyes, she spots a young man walking through the park.  He must not follow the news very well, that or he simply thinks himself above danger.  It is a foolish notion, and he is a foolish man.  She leaps down from her perch, melting into the shadows, invisible in the night.  The man stops, perhaps realizing that something is following him.  She crouches, waiting, watching.  He looks around quickly, and she freezes.  If he has spotted her, the fun is gone, her favorite look of surprise nowhere to be found.  She breathes a silent sigh of relief as the man steps behind a bush and relieves himself.  It's too bad.  She would have enjoyed watching the man make a mess of himself upon seeing her.

The man is soon finished and he continues his walk.  The time to strike is now.  The man, lost in his thoughts, fails to notice the bulk stalking up behind him.  He does notice the large hand on his shoulder, furred and clawed as it is.  He turns around with a few choice words for whatever friend had decided to play a trick on him stuck on his tongue.  They stay there, as the last thing he remembers is the yellow blur, all fangs and teeth.  And then, for him, there is no more.

She is an artist, her medium flesh and blood, and there are plenty of both at hand.  The man falls quickly to her slashing claws, the curious stuff of life flowing from the wounds.  She puts her tongue to it, relishing the coppery saltiness of it and begins to move onto feeding.  But, as was the case nights in the past, something stops her, some memory of her other self.  The memory takes control and she flees, leaving the man on the bloody ground, his breathing virtually nonexistent.  Blood staining her claws and the fur of her mouth, she lifts her muzzle to the night air one more time, letting out a screeching howl.  All those nearby cower in fear, for they know what has happened.  One more has fallen victim to the reaper of the night.

******

"Good morning Shinjuku," the man on TV says the next day.  His training keeps his face serene despite the terror in his breast.  "Our top story today: The terror in Shinjuku Park continues, as a third victim of the terrible beast has been discovered."

"Renamon!"  Rika calls to her partner, her lover, fear tingeing her voice.  "It happened again!"

Renamon steps out of the bathroom after her shower, continuing to dry herself with a large towel, a perturbed look on her vulpine face.  She seems troubled, Rika thinks to herself.  But then, who could blame the golden fox?  "Another one?  That makes three in as many nights."

"The facts surrounding the attack remain the same," the reporter continues.  "The body was discovered late last night outside the hospital emergency room.  DNA matching the victim's was found in the park, along with tracks of what appears to be a large animal.  All residents are advised to keep clear of the park at night while Animal Control agents patrol the area.  The victim, his name as of yet unreleased by the authorities, remains in intensive care, in Critical but Stable condition."

"That doesn't sound like any wild animal I've heard of," Rika remarks, deep in thought.  "The way it only almost kills its victims.  I don't think we're dealing with anything from this world."

"You suspect it's a digimon," Renamon says, finishing the thought, but she looks unconvinced.

"That's the only logical explanation," Rika nods.  "If it's not human, and it isn't any normal sort of animal, then what else could it be?"

Renamon says nothing, arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed.  It could be a trick of the light, maybe a glare from the TV, but Rika swears Renamon's paws are tinted slightly red.


	2. Victims and Revelations

Rika shakes her head to clear it, convinced that the tint must only be her eyes playing tricks on her.  Still…

"I'm not exactly sure what's responsible for the attacks," Renamon tells Rika, "but I plan to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible."

"Maybe we could patrol the park together tonight or something?" Rika suggests.

"No," Renamon disagrees.  "I think it's best if I go out alone.  Too dangerous."

"Are you sure?" Rika asks.

"Positive," Renamon replies, kissing her lover warmly on the mouth.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I plan to head to the library for a little while."

Rika looks at the calendar.  Sure enough, it's Sunday and the library is closed, perfect for Renamon getting around without people seeing her.

"All right," she says, "but be careful."

"Always," Renamon says as she fades out of the room.  The digimon gone, Rika pulls out a newspaper and reads more about the attacks.  Nobody has ever been able to see exactly what the creature looked like, each time the victim was alone, and none had regained consciousness yet.  Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't human.

******

It's now noon, the sun high in the air.  The park is full of life, save a small part of it cordoned off by yellow police caution tape, for the beast hunts only at night.  The green grass has a very disturbing redness to it in the taped off section, a sight that turns the stomach of even the heartiest of souls.  One young man remains far from the sight, instead hanging around an old abandoned tool shed.  His name is Takato Matsuki, age 14, and he is in the park every morning, rain or shine, beast attack or no.

"How come I have to stay here every night?" his companion, a large red and black lizard asks.

"Because, Guilmon," Takato answered, "You have a nasty habit of eating all the food in the house.  I'd rather you stayed with us, boy, but you can't be trusted around food."

Guilmon's face falls, ears drooping.  "Ohhh.  I'm sorry, Takato."

Takato fondly pats Guilmon's head, reassuring the creature.  "Don't worry about it.  I'll be here every morning to bring you fresh bread like I promised."

"Speaking of which…" Guilmon hints, perking up noticeably.  Takato laughs, reaching to the bag by his side and dumping the contents on the floor of the makeshift 'cave'.  Guilmon happily picks up a couple pieces of bread, and stuffs them into his mouth.  He chews noisily, enjoying the bread very much.  Smiling, Takato sits down next to his buddy and picks up a roll for himself, biting into it thoughtfully.

"I don't suppose you've ever seen this creature that's been attacking those people?" Takato asks delicately, feeling that it could be a touchy subject.  Guilmon shakes his head.

"I've been asleep when it shows up," the lizard tells his friend.  "It scares me, Takato."

"Yeah, I'm afraid too.  Maybe there's something we can do about it?" Takato suggests.  Tossing the last piece of bread into his mouth, Guilmon stands up excitedly.

"Yeah!" he says.  "Maybe we can stop it from hurting anybody else!"

Takato stands up proudly, laying a hand on Guilmon's wide shoulder.  "That creature doesn't stand a chance against the two of us!" he says proudly.  Together he and Guilmon leave the shed, hoping to catch the creature's scent.

Renamon pauses in her trip to the library to listen to their conversation.  She frowns at their interference, but she figures they stand no chance of confronting, let alone finding the beast.  Satisfied, she continues to the library.

******

The library is empty, save one busy fox Digimon.  Renamon moves from room to room silently, there isn't much time before nightfall.  She pauses, claws ready to sweep across the keyboard, trying to remember the word.  It's a strange word, purely human in design.  She curses herself for her weakness at such an important time before trying to jog her memory.  When the word comes back into her mind, she types it into the computer and it appears in large letters on the screen.  Lycanthropy.

A search turns up several results, all in the fiction section.  If they only knew, Renamon thinks to herself.  She glances at the clock, and sees that there's still some time left tonight before the change.  A rudimentary search for cure turns up no results, a disheartening fact.  Still, she notes several books on the subject and races to pick them out.

Renamon leafs methodically through one such book, fiction presented as if it were fact, but fails to find anything useful.  Another look at the clock confirms what she is beginning to feel inside.  The change will happen soon, and her time at the library is up.  She replaces the unfinished book on the shelf and fades from the room.

******

Night descends upon the park, and so does the hunter.  The game is scarce tonight, the residents of the city have, for the most part, regarded the warnings.  This night the majority of the humans about travel in pairs, armed with tranquilizer dart guns.  She lets out a frustrated growl, and briefly considers finding a new hunting ground.  A slight rustling in the bushes reaches her keen ears and alerts her to a hidden observer.  It's the boy and his dinosaur.

Amateurs, she chuckles to herself.  She weighs her options carefully.  The urge to feed is strong this night, but the choice of victims is small and their weapons dangerous.  The boy is a tempting target, but something holds her back.  A sudden outcry from another part of the park catches the attention of both her and her trackers.  She leaps off in a flash to investigate.

A human is on the ground, unmoving.  His companion is crouched over him, gun at the ready.  His mind barely registers the soft thump of her landing, but it does register the sudden starburst of pain as her fist clubs into the side of his head.  The boy and his Digimon arrive late on the scene, finding only the still unconscious man.

She deposits the bleeding man on the ground and quickly glances around.  The sounds of motion are still far off enough, and this time no internal voice silences her desires to feed.

******

Takato arrives in the clearing where the creature had been until a few seconds ago, catching nothing more than a flash of yellow.  A grisly scene awaits them when they arrive, and Guilmon cringes in disgust.  Takato turns and noisily empties his stomach onto the ground, repulsed by the sheer amount of gore on scene.  Shuddering violently, Takato gingerly places two fingers on the man's bloody neck, and strains to find a pulse.

"Oh, shit," Takato curses softly, turning away from the sight of the man's mauled chest.  "Guard the body, Guilmon, while I call 911."  He sprints off full speed in the direction of the nearest phone, leaving his partner behind should the beast return.

******

The next morning cannot come too quickly for Takato as he tosses and turns in bed, unable to sleep any substantial time for fear of dreaming the images back into his mind.  He awakens from a brief respite in a cold sweat, breath coming in ragged gasps.  Rubbing his weary eyes, he makes his way into the living room where the TV is showing the news.  Takato's parents look at him with concern, but his concentration is fully on the screen.

"The attacks continued last night," the reporter tells all watching, "and this time the severity was increased.  The latest victim, one of the Animal Control agents assigned to patrol the park, was discovered still on the scene of the attack, severe wounds on his body corresponding to teeth marks."

******

"Are you watching this, Henry?" Terriermon asks his partner, as glued to the screen as Takato.  Henry can only mutely nod as the reporter continues.

"This just in.  We have received word that one of the previous victims of the attacks has regained consciousness.  We now go live to the hospital, where our reporter on the scene has been granted an interview."

*******

Rika sits upright in her chair as the scene on the TV switches to a hospital room.  A heavily bandaged man lies on the bed, a microphone held up to his mouth.

"It was horrible," the patient says, his eyes wide in fright.  "There I was, minding my own business, walking through the park, when I felt something come up behind me.  I turn around, and the next thing I know, some large beast is all over me.  It was huge, thick, and had these razor sharp fangs and claws."

The man shudders, unable to continue as the painful memories return to him.  The reporter in his room is shooed out, and the door closes behind her.  She regains her composure and begins to speak.

"Based on the descriptions of the creature given by the victim, this composite sketch has been compiled."

******

Henry's mouth drops open as a rough picture of the night stalker is shown.  He frantically reaches for the phone and dials a number.

"It can't be true!" he protests even as the phone continues to ring unabated.

******

"There's just no way!" Takato says as he stared long and hard at the image on screen.  The combination of the yellow flash and the picture of the culprit seem to be damning evidence.

******

Rika's phone rings and rings, but she doesn't notice it.  She sits limply in her seat, unable to believe her eyes.

"Dear God, no," she gasps, unable to look away from the picture on the TV.

The conception of the beast is figured to be about six feet tall, humanoid, with three-clawed hands on feet.  It looks for the entire world like a large, shaggy Renamon.


	3. A Fearful Encounter

From her perch on a light pole in the electronics section of the city, Renamon watches the morning news and sees the rendition of the beast.  Sadly, she closes her eyes and hangs her head, knowing that, for her, things just got infinitely more complicated.  Seconds after the image fades, she feels the familiar tug of Rika calling for her, but for once she does not answer the call.  It comes again stronger, and her head spins as she resists.  She can't face Rika, anymore, not until everything is resolved.  Renamon heads for the library, ignoring the fact that it's open.  For her, time is of the essence.

******

Rika slumps back into her seat, Renamon not responding to her calls.  The TV moves on to other stories, but it doesn't register.  It, along with the still ringing phone, sits somewhere in the back of her head.  She still can't believe what she had seen, that Renamon has been the one attacking the people in the park.  She refuses to believe that it could be true, she knows Renamon better than that.  At least, she hopes she does.

******

Henry hangs up the phone after Rika fails to answer and begins to pace around the room; his eyes are still glued to the television set.  In his head, he goes over the events of the past few days, trying to remember anything out of the ordinary regarding Renamon.  Aside from hearing that her relationship with Rika had been taken to the next level, nothing registers.  The ring of the telephone briefly interrupts his train of thought, but still he quickly picks it up.

"Henry, tell me I didn't see what I thought I saw," Takato says on the other side of the line.

"Well, if what you thought you saw was Renamon pegged as the beast," he says, "then I can't tell you that."

"There's got to be some mistake," Takato protests.

"Well, that's what I'm hoping," Henry agrees.  "But, I can't think of what it could be.  Our digivices would have sensed another Digimon showing up."

"Renamon wouldn't do something like that.  I can't imagine her hurting anybody like that on purpose."

"Not like this anyway," Henry mutters.  "It's simply not normal behavior for her."

******

But, then again, when one is at one's limit, normal behavior means nothing.  Such is the case with Renamon, who very blatantly appears right in the middle of the library.  The crowd of people collectively scream in horror and flee from her, but she ignores them and instead returns to where she had found the books before.  It isn't long before Renamon can hear the sirens of approaching police cars, which only prompts her to work faster.  She grabs every book on the subject of were-creatures she can, piling them high on the floor before the first police arrive on the scene.  The news cameras arrive on scene a short time later.

******

"Are…" Takato says slowly, "are you still watching the news?"

Namely the breaking news, "Beast spotted at local library."

Henry nods with a barely audible grunt of recognition.  "What is she doing at the library?"

"In all seriousness," Takato answers, "she's checking out some books.  But, why would she show up in the middle of the day, even after everything on the news?"

"I'll bet the answer's in those books."

******

Renamon analyzes the motions of the police in the building and knows that they have her surrounded.  More books join the stack but the rhythm of falling books is interrupted by an ominous click.  Renamon whirls, a book in her hand, to find that she is staring down the barrel of a rifle wielded by a very nervous cop.  The man reaches to the radio on his shoulder, about to inform his comrades that he has located the beast.  The words fail in his throat, however as Renamon uses the one weapon she has at hand.  The officer falls, clutching at his throat and gasping for breath, the book that Renamon has thrown into his neck clattering to the floor.

Renamon grabs the pile of books and crouches, ready to flee, when a loud blast causes her to twist around, catching a load of buckshot on the pile of books.  The tomes fall to the ground as the man with the shotgun cocks the weapon, preparing to fire again.  Renamon is too fast though, and she floors the man with a flurry of punches, throwing his gun away as far as she can.  It is then that she notices the ring of weapons around her.

******

Rika gasps as the scene at the library plays out on the TV and sees the ring of armed police around Renamon.  She reaches out ineffectively towards the set as Renamon turns to face the camera.  A look of infinite sadness on her face, Renamon mouths something then leaps high into the air, her arms crossed over her head.  "I'm sorry…"

The space above Renamon glows brightly, shedding a glare on the camera lens.  "Diamond Storm!"  The officers surrounding Renamon cry out and fall backwards as Renamon brings her arms and the glowing projectiles down towards them.  Static replaces the image of the scene on the television for several seconds that feel like an eternity for the Tamers watching.

Rika slumps back into her seat and turns away, tears brewing in her closed eyes.  Her digivice falls from her hand and bounces down to the floor as chaos continues to erupt onscreen.  She can do nothing but watch as a second camera crew arrives.  Police officers help their injured comrades limp out of the building and they report that the monster has disappeared.

******

The Tamers can only watch in shock as everything unfolds on the televisions in front of them.

"Something is seriously wrong here," Henry says, to which Takato agrees.

"We need to find out what," Takato announces.  "Before it's too late."

"You check the library, I'll try and find Renamon."

"What about Rika?  We can't just leave her alone right now."

"I know that, but…" Henry prompts.  He hopes his friend understands.

Takato does.  "But it's more important that we stop anyone else from getting hurt," he finishes.  "Right."

"Let me know what you find."

"Be careful," Takato tells his friend, hanging up the phone.  Grabbing his jacket, he runs out the door yelling an excuse to his parents.  He hops on his bike and pedals as hard as he can to the library.

******

In the chaos following her attack, Renamon is able to escape from the library, still clutching her precious cargo of books.  It is her hope that, in one of these books, she can find all the information she needs and especially a cure for the transformation or at the very least a means to prevent it.  The one thing she needs the most is time, which is the one thing in short supply.  It's only a matter of hours before the transformation happens again this night, so Renamon works to find an out-of-the-way area to look over everything.

A series of alleyways in the city appear ideal; they're well lit at this time of day, but unlikely to attract any mid-day strollers.  It is at the back of one of these alleys that Renamon settles in and starts to skim the works she has collected.

******

Henry begins his search for the elusive Renamon as quickly as he can, but even so he receives the call from Takato before he is successful.  Takato tells Henry everything he has managed to find out at the library.

"So that's it," Henry says as realization strikes.  "I don't think Renamon is completely responsible for the attacks."

"How is that?"

"From what I understand," Henry explains, "people afflicted with lycanthropy generally aren't able to control their actions in their transformed state.  Often times, they don't even remember that they did anything."

"Well that's good at least," Takato says.  "She's not doing this because she wants to.  Where do we go from here?"

'I'm still trying to find Renamon.  You tell Rika what's up, and get over to the park with Guilmon in case we can't prevent another transformation."

"Got it," Takato nods on the other end.  "Just… be careful, okay?"

"Of course," Henry smiles, hanging up the phone and continuing in his search.

******

Renamon tosses another book away with a loud growl of annoyance.  She has not been able to find any cure so far in the books at hand, and the pickings are getting slimmer by the minute.  The only thing she has managed to learn from the books is a number of different methods of destroying a werewolf entirely.  Renamon's head shoots up as a shadow past the mouth of the alley lengthens, signifying that somebody approaches.

Renamon picks up the four books that she hasn't yet looked at and leaps, bounding from wall to wall up to the roof of the building.  From her perch, Renamon watches as Henry jogs towards the pile of books.  He picks one up and glances at the title, nodding to himself.  Straightening up, Henry begins to look around, and Renamon ducks backward to obscure herself from sight.

The motion dislodges a bookmark from one of the books in Renamon hand, and it flutters to the ground.  Renamon curses softly as Henry looks directly at her.  Even though she knows he can't make out anything other than shadow, Renamon leaves her hiding spot.  She leaps lightly to the ground, carefully setting down her books.

"Good," Henry says, breathing a sigh of relief.  "I caught you before the transformation."

"You know about that," Renamon states, to which Henry nods.  "Then you also know that there is no controlling the change, and that your life could very well be in danger right now."

"I know you wouldn't harm me on purpose," Henry says.  "I'm hoping that somehow I can stop you from hurting anyone else."

In response, Renamon looks up at the hint of the moon in the sky.  "It's a beautiful thing, you know.  The moon, I mean.  I remember always looking up at it a couple of years ago, my only companion those lonely nights.  But now, the moon brings only pain, and when it hits its fullest point, my pain will be eternal."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Henry says, his voice full of hope.  "We can find a cure.  I'm telling you that there's got to be one somewhere."

Renamon gestures to the stack of discarded books.  "That's what all those told me, and yet I'm little better off than I was before.  But now, time is running out, and I must go."

"I can't let you go anywhere," Henry says firmly, spreading his arms.  Renamon recoils, staring over Henry's shoulder.

"Look out behind you!" Renamon gasps.

Henry shakes his head resolutely.  "That's an old trick.  Did you really think it would work?"

"It was worth a show," Renamon sighs sadly.

"Now," Henry says seconds before his eyes glaze over and he slumps to the ground.  Renamon's hand has impacted hard with a nerve on his neck, and consciousness slips away.   The fox digimon double-checks that Henry is only knocked out.  Nodding, Renamon picks the four books back up and disappears into the fading sunlight.

A good distance away, Renamon flips through the remaining pages.  Three of the books get tossed away as well, but she stops on the last few pages of the only book left.  She taps the page thoughtfully as she realizes what she must do.


	4. Final Confrontation

Rika returns to her thoughts on Renamon after shooing Takato away, in no mood to talk to him.  She tries to put everything into proper order, attempting to make sense of the situation.  Unfortunately for her, everything seems to point to only one conclusion, that the Renamon she knows has nearly killed several innocent people.  Takato's revelation that Renamon wasn't entirely at fault makes little difference.  There is blood on her partner's hands, and neither one of them would ever be the same.

The girl jumps slightly as a familiar sensation reaches her brain, and is confirmed when Renamon phases into the room.  Rika leaps up from her seat, throwing her arms around Renamon's neck, burying her face in Renamon's chest.

"Tell me it's not true," Rika orders, lifting her head.  "Tell me that it's all some enormous mistake."  Renamon only shakes her head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that."

Rika pushes Renamon away, bringing her hand across Renamon's face.  "Damn you, Renamon!" Rika screams as the digimon recoils from the blow.   "How the hell could you do this?!"  Her hand meets Renamon's cheek again to punctuate the remark.  "How, after we shared so much, could you do this?!"  Rika raises her hand again, but Renamon grabs it mid-swing.

Renamon's other hand goes to the back of Rika's neck, pulling the girl's head in closer.  Her mouth closes over Rika's in a rough kiss.  Rika struggles, but Renamon continues to grip Rika's hand tightly.  As the kiss continues, Rika slowly relaxes, allowing herself to get lost in the moment.  Renamon lowers the two of them down onto the couch, her hand straying to the bottom of Rika's shirt…

******

Henry regains consciousness a couple of hours later, groggily getting to his feet.  He rubs his neck where Renamon has struck him, nursing a new bruise.  Quickly looking up, Henry sees that the full moon is halfway through its ascent into the night sky.  The next thing that registers is the cell phone in his pocket ringing almost frantically.  Henry shakes his head to clear the last of the cobwebs from it before answering.  The voice on the other end belongs to Takato.

"Henry!" he exclaims.  "I've been trying to get through to you for nearly fifteen minutes!  What happened?"

"Renamon happened," Henry groans.  "I managed to find her, but she clobbered me and fled.  Don't worry about that, what was so urgent?"

"I was worried that something bad may have happened.  Guess it did," Takato says.  "You all right?"

"Yeah, just a little sore," Henry answers, rubbing his neck.  "But now we don't have a lot of time to stop Renamon from hurting anybody else.  For that we'll need Guilmon's help.  I'll meet you at the park."

"No good," Takato replies.  "They've completely cordoned off the park.  I was barely able to get Guilmon out before they cut it off.  There isn't going to be a single person there."

Henry curses to himself.  Renamon won't show up somewhere where there aren't people.  "Well, hell," he says to Takato, "looks like we'll have to go to Plan B."

"Which would be?"

"Give me a minute…  Of course!  We use Guilmon to sniff her out.  He can find anything with that nose of his."

"Great idea," Takato agrees.  "I'll be right there with Guilmon."

Henry says what doesn't need to be said.  "Hurry."

******

The moon is full and bright in the sky, making darkest night bright as day.  Just the way she likes it.  From the roof of the building, she lifts her muzzle into the air and lets out a piercing howl.  Her usual hunting ground was deserted, forcing her to find a new place to prowl.

The alleyways are suitable enough with a myriad of shadows to hide and hunt in, though the prey is nearly nonexistent.  From her spot in the darkness she sees no living beings save a few rats.  One such vermin decides to investigate the newcomer, sniffing around her leg.  Growling softly, she stabs a claw downward, impaling the beast.  She sneers as the pitiful creature squirms its last before flinging it away to bounce off a wall to the ground.

Her sensitive ears pick up human voices, getting louder.  Baring her teeth in a mockery of a grin, she slinks off to find the source.   She licks her lips in anticipation of the moment and the taste of hot flesh and blood.  And this time, this time nothing will stop her from feeding.

Darkness is the perfect cover for her motions, and the full moon only makes the shadows blacker.  Two potential victims come into view, taking advantage of the night themselves.  Fear wafts from one of the pair, along with a scent that makes her wrinkle her nose in disgust.  Snatches of conversation reach her ears.

"Isn't that a bit much?" the fearful one asks.  The other shakes his head.

"It's high quality stuff.  Nothing but the best."

Their conversation is interrupted as she chooses this moment to make her move.  Baring her teeth, the huntress emerges from the darkness.  The smell of fear grows heavy as the man's mouth drops in a silent scream.  Her lip curls up slightly, enjoying the panic in the man's eyes.  He backs away slowly, and his companion looks at him curiously.

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

The man doesn't answer.  Instead he turns tail and runs as fast as his legs can take him.  His friend reaches a hand into the pocket of his jacket.  "Whoever's behind me," he says, "you just cost me a valuable customer."

The huntress readies herself as the man turns around, drawing a gun.  She lashes out with razor-sharp claws across his wrist, and he drops the gun with a scream as blood sprays from the wound.  He falls back, clutching his ravaged hand, face ghostly white.  The huntress pounces on him, bearing his weight down to the ground where her claws continue to rend flesh

******

A shiver runs down Takato's spine as he hears the cries of the victim.  A glance at Henry and Guilmon confirm that they too hear the sounds.

"It's coming from over there!" Guilmon points.  They all race off towards the source of the screams, hoping to get there before the unthinkable happens.  As they run through the alleyways, the screams get louder and louder until…

"They stopped…" Takato says, aghast.

"That may just mean he's unconscious," Henry says, quickening his pace.  "Just means we have to hurry more!"

The trio does just that and they soon arrive on a gruesome scene.  The sheer amount of blood is enough to make them fight to keep from throwing up.  There in the middle of the alleyway, in the center of a spreading pool of blood is a man's devastated body.

Henry hesitantly steps foot in the sticky fluid on the ground and goes over to what's left of the man.  "No pulse," he reports. "God… there's nothing to provide a pulse…"

"What… what do you mean?" Takato asks, trying to avoid looking at the carnage.

"His chest is ripped open…  His heart isn't there anymore…"

As Takato digests this information, Guilmon lowers his head and growls past Henry.  Takato sees motion behind Henry and gasps, "Look out!"

Henry's eyes widen as he propels himself into a forward roll just as claws swipe the air where his head had just been.  He ends the roll facing the darkness of the alleyway as the source of the attack comes into view.

The news reports didn't do her justice.  She vaguely resembles Renamon, but about twice as thick and twice as shaggy.  Vicious claws adorn her reddened paws and large fangs emerge from her bloodstained muzzle.  She hunches over, looking between Henry and Takato, as if sizing up her next meal.

"Hard to believe that thing's Renamon…" Henry says, backing slowly away.  "Still, we need to stop her without hurting her too badly."

"Right," Takato nods.  "Just try to knock her out, Guilmon.  We don't want to kill her."

Guilmon nods his acknowledgement and springs at the creature.  A beeping at Takato's hip diverts his attention, and he looks at his digivice strangely.

The huntress deftly sidesteps Guilmon's charge, kicking his back savagely.  Guilmon stumbles forward, but he still blocks a claw swipe and the two begin to grapple.

Takato pulls out his digivice and the familiar analyzer screen pops up.  The information contained on it, however, is less familiar.

Henry moves closer to read the screen.  "What the…?  That's not exactly Renamon…"

Takato double checks to make sure he's reading the display right.  "No…  Says here that it's Werenamon, Champion level…  Champion level!  Guilmon!"

Takato looks up to warn Guilmon just in time to see the digimon in question get flung into a wall.  Guilmon slides down to land in a heap, shaking his head.

"Guilmon!" Takato cries as the huntress stalks closer to the fallen Rookie.  Guilmon looks up in time to dodge a punch coming at him.  The huntress spins around, leaving a large dent in the side of the brick wall.

"Does that say anything useful?" Henry asks, one eye on the battle, the other on the screen.

"According to this, she's now Werenamon.  Champion level, Virus type.  This Digimon is a Renamon that has been infected with a virus, causing it to evolve into this dark beast," Takato reads.  "A virus?"

"Pyro Sphere!"  In desperation Guilmon launches a fireball at the huntress, but she slams it away with her arm.  She pounces again, pinning Guilmon to the ground.

"Come on, Guilmon," Takato encourages his partner.  He reaches to his pocket and pulls out a card.  "Digimodify!   Strength activate!"

With a burst of power, Guilmon pushes the huntress away, and she lands on all fours.  He charges forward, clubbing his arm into her head, and she goes sprawling.

"That's it!" Henry exclaims, snapping his fingers.

"Yeah," Takato agrees.  "I think we're going to come out on top."

"Not that!" Henry shakes his head.  "Cards!  I know we've got cards that destroy viruses!  If we use one of those in Rika's Digivice, Renamon should be cured!"

Werenamon has other plans though, and she lashes out with a vicious spinning kick, her heel connecting solidly with Guilmon's skull.  The sound of the impact resounds through the maze of alleys and Guilmon stumbles, stunned.  He stops and shakes his head and it looks as if he'll recover.  A second later, he collapses senseless to the ground.

"Guilmon!" Takato cries, rushing over to his fallen friend.  He shakes the unconscious lizard, but Guilmon is out cold.  He doesn't notice the large paw heading for his head, but luckily Henry does.

"Look out!" he yells, and Takato hurls himself backwards, rolling to land reclined on his back.  He scoots back as fast as he can, getting distance from the beast and scrambling to his feet.

Werenamon advances on the two of them, teeth bared in a sinister snarl.  "What the heck are we going to do now?" Henry asks.

"There's got to be a card I can use, or something I can do!" Takato says frantically.

"I'd suggest running," Henry offers, "but we can't just leave Guilmon behind…"

The huntress crouches, preparing for one final pounce.  Takato and Henry cringe back, hearing one final growl.  Suddenly, her growl turns into more of a gurgle, and the Tamers open their eyes to stare in horror.  The huntress joins their stare, all eyes trained on her chest and the large piece of silver sticking out of it.


	5. The Bitter End

The huntress stumbles backwards, clawing futilely at the silver protrusion.  The Tamers can only watch as she grabs it, but it doesn't budge as strength flees her body.  She collapses to one knee, then to both, before finally falling to lie on her back.  Her body twitches in death throes before stilling.

"What the hell…" Takato gasps.  He looks around, trying to pinpoint where the projectile had come from.  "What just happened?"

"Do you know what you've just done?" Henry asks whoever is nearby.

"Yes," a voice from the shadows answers, "I just sealed her fate and mine." Both heads turn to face the speaker, still hidden in the shadows.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Takato says angrily.  "She was our friend!  We could have saved her!"

"No," Renamon replies, stepping out from the darkness of the alley.  "She was beyond saving."  She crosses over to kneel next to the corpse of the huntress, closing its eyes for the last time.  Gripping the silver object, she pulls it out, revealing the bloody blade of a silver dagger.

"Wait, Renamon, what?" Henry splutters.  "But… but if you're there, then who…"

Renamon pulls over a blanket, draping it over the corpse even as the fur begins to retract into the skin and the claws shrink to nails.  Lying there, with a bloodless wound over her heart, is Rika.  Renamon pulls the blanket up to Rika's neck, tears in her eyes.

"A few nights ago," Renamon explains, stroking Rika's hair, "during a walk through the park, Rika just collapsed and began to transform into what you saw.  I tried to stop her from hurting anyone, but her new form was too strong for me.  She started attacking people, and there was nothing I could do to help."

Renamon stops, tears falling to the ground and mixing with the blood.  Breathing heavily, she continues.  "Fortunately for the both of us, human blood seemed to reverse the effect.  She was never able to kill."

"It was a shock to her system," Henry reasons.  Renamon nods absently.

"When she woke up the next morning, she assumed that she had fallen asleep.  She had no memory of anything that had happened, and I had no intention of telling her.  But then, the attacks started getting worse.  Her victims would have died had I not carried them to the hospital."  She looks at her hands, remembering the lingering blood stains on the short fur.

Renamon straightens up, staring into the night sky.  "It's beautiful, isn't it?  The moon I mean.  For the longest time, it was my only companion, but now it's responsible for taking Rika away from me.  The fuller the moon became, the harsher the attacks.  And tonight the moon is at its peak, so there was nothing to stop her from killing.  Once she did, there was no turning back." Renamon picks up Rika's corpse and turns to the Tamers.  "I had no choice."

"Renamon…  What's going to happen now?" Henry asks as Takato checks on Guilmon.  He still can't believe that one of his friends is dead…  It all seems like a dream he should wake up from at any minute…

Looking down at the corpse cradled in her arms, Renamon shakes her head sadly.  "She was in the park when a man attacked and murdered her.  The murder weapon, a bloody knife, was found on the scene.  The beast will never be seen again.  For most life will go on."

"But what about you?"

"You've been a true friend, Henry," Renamon says.  "All of you have."  She crouches and quickly leaps to the roof of the building and away down the street.

"Renamon, wait!"  Henry calls chasing after her, but she's too fast.  "No…  C'mon!  We have to stop her before she gets to the park!"  Without waiting for an answer, he runs out of the alley.

It takes Takato a second to realize what's happening, but he quickly springs into action, Guilmon following close behind.

******

Renamon soon arrives at the park where she carefully lays Rika's body out.  It has to look like she was the victim of a random crime.  She just wishes it didn't have to end this way.

"Goodbye, Rika," she whispers.  "I only hope that in the next life you can truly be happy."

Gripping the dagger, Renamon takes one last, long look at the moon before plunging the weapon into her own breast.  Her breathing grows heavy and raspy as life slips from her body and she lies down next to Rika.  She gives the girl one last lingering kiss on the cheek.

"I will always love you…" she whispers before her data fades into oblivion.


End file.
